


Should Old Aquaintance Be Forgot

by Kittycombs



Series: Infinity War ending????? I don't know her [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes saves the universe, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Happy ending dammit it’s what they deserve, M/M, Major character death isn’t something we fuck with here, Vine references?, endgame spoilers, ill post the second half of this after some sleep because my eyes are burning, like seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-07 08:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittycombs/pseuds/Kittycombs
Summary: I’m serious about the spoilers people******Bucky was tired of fighting. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop.





	1. We too have run around the slopes

**Author's Note:**

> Last warning for spoilers
> 
> Endgame: this is the ending  
> Me: alright, but I have some notes. Here’s where you lost me:
> 
> In the same ‘series’ as my infinity war fix it because it’s spiritually the same.

Bucky coughed dirt out of his lungs for a good few minutes when he woke up on the ground of a Wakandan forest. The back of his skull buzzed, his brain trying to engage a memory, a reminder of something he’d done before.

He would’ve asked Steve about it but-

Where the hell did he go?

“Steve,” Bucky croaked into his com. “Steve, you there?” He tapped on his earpiece a few times, but his whines and he had to yank it out. He’d already had enough ringing ears for multiple lifetimes.

“Sam?” He called out. “Sam?”

“Good to know you aren’t dead, Barnes,” Sam replied, offering him a hand up.

“Good to know you aren’t dead either,” Bucky responded, hoisting to his feet. “My com is dead, you able to reach anyone?”

“Shuri,” Sam responded simply. “We missed a lot of shit, Barnes.”

Bucky turned to survey the battlefield -

Only there wasn’t one.

There were people getting up, confused and groggy, but there were no aliens, no enemies, no fallen soldiers.

Alive. They were only alive.

*

“Hey,” Sam said after he finished draining one more bottle of water, “how much do you think it would piss him off if I said ‘on your left?’”

*

Bucky was exhausted by the idea of fighting. Mentally and emotionally exhausted by it. He hated it. He didn’t want to do it anymore.

But he’s good at it. So good that his body went on autopilot as much as he let it, punching left, feinting right, shoot this, stab that.

Damn, he hoped Steve was okay. If Steve survived all this bullshit already, if Steve worked so hard to get him back, if Bucky had a second (third) chance, and Steve wound up getting his dumb ass killed, Bucky was going to figure that time travel fuckery out for himself and kick Steve’s ass for it.

*

Bucky, personally, wasn’t all that attached to Tony Stark.

But.

Yeah, but.

*

Tony was Steve’s friend, was the thing. Or they had been friends, once (Tony had also tried to kill Bucky once, but Bucky liked to think he’d grown as a person and moved beyond being pissed about that).

And Tony, well.

Pepper had told them about Morgan, when she’d shown up in Wakanda with her suit of armor.

Tony had a daughter.

*

Bucky had Steve. Steve had Bucky. Just them.

*

A family versus whatever they were. Parents and a kid versus two broken boys with too much left unsaid.

*

Bucky had always been good at math.

*

He saw what Tony was planning as Tony got into position.

Bucky grabbed him from behind, shoved him behind a rock.

“Let me do this.”

“Barnes, I can’t, you gotta understand-”

“Thought you wanted me dead,” Bucky said with a smirk.

“It’d destroy him, Barnes.”

“And it wouldn’t destroy your family?”

“I can’t do that to him again. He can’t go through losing you again.”

“You’re talking as if I’m gonna die.”

“You think you can survive that? It almost killed Thanos and Hulk.”

“You’re forgetting one thing,” Bucky said, unable to keep from raising his voice slightly so as to ensure Shuri could hear him over her com. “I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me.”

*

Getting the Stones off of Thanos and snapping his own fingers was the easy part. Having to see the look on Steve’s face when he realized what Bucky was doing was the hard part.

God.

It burned.

*

Bucky was so used to pain that he could force his body to work through it, even as it was whiting out his vision.

“Buck?” Steve asked, urgently. He was standing close enough to touch, but he sounded distant. “Bucky, oh god.”

The fingers on Bucky’s right hand scrambled clumsily for his left underarm.

Where was it where was it where-

_There._

He pressed the quick release button of his newest arm, shoved it off his shoulder socket gracelessly, and the burning stopped. He fell to the ground.

He felt a little high off the endorphins flooding his system, the adrenaline racing through his body. His vision returned to him, and the first thing he saw was Steve’s face.

*

Steve was crying. Bucky lifted his hand up to brush the tears away but left a smudge of dirt behind.

“Buck?” Steve croaked softly. Like he almost couldn’t believe it.

Bucky’s eyes flicked around, taking in their audience. He caught Shuri’s eye and she approached.

“Told you the quick release was a good idea.”

Shuri rolled her eyes at him. “I never said it wasn’t. What I questioned was calling it the ‘Buzz Lightyear’ protocol.”

“ _Toy Story_ is a cinematic masterpiece,” Bucky replies, mostly for the sake of argument.

He snuck his arm up around the back of Steve’s neck, used it to drag Steve down to him. Steve fell in a heap, forehead pressed against Bucky’s neck.

“I’m fine, by the way,” Bucky said, a little sarcastically. “Since you all were so concerned. Just, you know, another day saving the universe.”

Steve shuddered.

Bucky ducked his head down and said, much quieter, only for Steve, “hey, really, I promise; I’m okay.”

“You’re here,” Steve replied, just as quietly, voice choked. “You’re...you’re still here, all in one piece and-”

“I don’t know about one piece, pal.” Bucky cast a quick glance at the melting, mangled remains of the arm Shuri had made for him.

“Those things are not easy to make, you know,” Shuri commented without any bite, smiling at him.

“Good thing I happen to know a certain scientist-slash-princess who loves a challenge.”

Tony staggered over and Pepper ran to him. They collided with a clang of metal, foreheads pressing together, and whispered quietly to each other.

All around him, Bucky could hear the sounds of people reuniting.

He held Steve closer with his one arm.

“I’m gonna take a nap,” he declared to no one in particular.

“You gonna let me up?” Steve asked, face still pressed against him.

“Nope, you make a pretty good blanket, all things considered.”

“You wanna find somewhere more comfortable, at least?”

Bucky groaned. “I guess if you wanna be smart about it.”

*

The compound was entirely destroyed, so T’Challa invited them back to Wakanda for a little bit of rest and recuperation.

Bucky stalked to the room Shuri held for him in the palace for when she needed to run long term tests, dragging Steve after him.

“I’m going to shower,” he declared, “because I am gross. There’s clothes in that dresser, they should fit you well enough. You’re welcome to use the shower after me but only on the condition that you will come right back here because so help me god, Steve, we’re going to take a nap.”

Steve smiled.

*

The nap was nice.

Bucky woke up warm.


	2. And picked the daisies fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up loose ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I said “tomorrow” but I finished it the next day so here it is now! Hope you enjoy!

Steve was still asleep when Bucky woke up. Bucky stayed as still as possible, wanting to keep it that way.

They hadn’t fallen asleep touching; sharing a bed was not an uncommon occurrence between the two of them at any point in their lives. It was normal to just lay down under shared covers, backs facing each other, say a quick ‘goodnight’ and hit the hay.

Bucky woke up with Steve clinging to him, arms curled around his waist in a way that could not possibly be comfortable, but when he tried to shift a little to relieve the pressure of his own back on Steve’s arm, Steve huffed. Bucky rolled his eyes. _Stubborn as a brick even while he’s unconscious._

Steve was curled against Bucky’s right side, nestled underneath his shoulder. Bucky cautiously lifted his hand up to comb his fingers through Steve’s blond hair. They couldn’t have been asleep long - the hair on Steve’s nape was still a little damp - but Bucky didn’t think he could sleep any longer.

Five years.

_Damn._

He’d missed five fucking years. Spent five years as dust, or whatever, and Steve had just _been here._

Alone.

Bucky nuzzled his nose down into Steve’s hair. Same shampoo or not, something about him always just smells like _Steve._

Smells came back to him most easily. He thought he’d recognize New York by smell if he ever went back there.

(Or maybe, he thought, safe in his own head, maybe it’s just that he could always recognize Steve.)

*

Bucky didn’t think of himself as terribly romantic. Maybe he had been before, but he certainly wasn’t now. He was better at talking about how he felt, better at that than he ever had been in his entire life, but somehow, even thinking about speaking the words out loud felt like betrayal.

Who he was betraying wasn’t exactly certain.

*

Bucky lay there for hours, drifting in and out of sleep. He dreamt sometimes, but nothing too bad. The weight of Steve’s head on his chest, Steve’s arms around his waist, the puff of Steve’s breath, all that kept him grounded.

*

Steve’s stomach eventually grumbled loud enough to wake them both.

Bucky and Steve locked eyes, and Bucky laughed, happier and freer than he’d felt in a long time.

He almost said it then, lying there next to each other in a quiet room in Wakanda breeze filtering in, looking at the marks on Steve’s face.

Almost.

*

Bucky guided Steve down to the kitchens and rummaged around for something to eat, careful not to make a mess. He’d like to be allowed back in the kitchen at some point.

It was a little difficult to do with one arm.

“Steve,” he called softly. “Can I get a hand here?”

“Sure thing, Buck, I-” Steve paused, considering what Bucky had just said. “Son of a bitch, Bucky.”

Bucky smirked. “Don’t talk about my mother that way, she was a wonderful lady.”

Steve laughed, and Bucky heart soared. “She was, actually, yeah. What do you need help with?”

“Normally I don’t need help at all,” Bucky explained, “it’s just the transition from no arm to arm to no arm again is a little disorienting. Plus I let you use me as a human pillow so I feel entitled to some repayment for my services.”

Steve blushed pink. “Haha,” he said flatly. “You’re so funny.”

“Glad somebody finally recognizes it.”

*

After they finished eating (and washing and dying their dishes, because, again, Bucky would like to be able to use the kitchen again), Bucky guided Steve up to the roof.

It was Bucky’s favorite place to be, especially at this time of day.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever showed you the sunset from here,” he told Steve, still holding his hand. “I think they’ve gotta be the prettiest in the world.”

“Whole world, huh? Well, I’ve been to space now, so we’ll see how they compare.”

There was a story there that Bucky was _totally_ getting out of him later, but for now he didn’t press. “Sun doesn’t set in space, asshole, it’s always there.”

“God, I missed you,” Steve breathed out, almost sounding like he didn’t mean to say it at all.

Bucky pulled him down to sit next to him, leaning back against the wall of the roof. Perfect sunset-watching position.

“Missed you too, pal.”

Bucky leaned his head on Steve’s shoulder, and felt Steve’s head rest on his.

“So,” Bucky asked. “What now?”

Steve breathes in deeply, held it, and sighed. “Gotta put the stones back where they came from.”

“Where’d they come from?”

“A lot of places. A lot of times. Gotta put them back.”

“A lot of _times?_ You went time traveling and you didn’t tell me about it first damn thing?” Bucky asked, faking shock and anger. “It’s almost like I’m not your best friend anymore! You been cheatin’ on me, Rogers?”

Steve huffed a laugh. “Oh yeah, Barnes. You should probably know that the raccoon is actually my best friend now.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, settling deeper into Steve’s side. “But really, Steve. Time travel?”

“Time travel.”

*

“So let me get this straight,” Bucky said once the sunset was over and Steve had finished his story. “You can go back in time and change everything?”

“I mean I guess I could in theory but practically it would just mean-”

“Diverging and parallel timelines, I know, I’m the science fiction nerd between the two of of, Rogers. You’re the fantasy nut.”

“Yeah. So I could, but it would be a bad idea.”

“So tomorrow, you’re gonna set up the thing, and then you’re gonna go back in time to all those different places, and put all the stones back where you got them, but that’s just gonna leave us where we are right now?”

“That’s what Bruce and Tony say, anyway.”

“Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but,” Bucky shrugged. “Whatever I guess. So you’ll just go, and then come back here? And everything will be what it is right now?”

“Yeah pretty much,” Steve said, shifting slightly so as to not meet Bucky’s eyes.

Bucky day up and turned to him. “I know what you’re thinking, Rogers. No makin’ changes, remember?”

“But if I just told me and about you earlier, if I got you out sooner-”

“Then who knows what the fuck will happen. What’s in the past is in the past. It should stay that way, Steve. We’re here now. We’re happy now. At least,” Bucky shifted himself, suddenly not able to look Steve in the eyes. “At least, I thought we were.”

“Loads happier now that you’re here,” Steve said.

“Me too. So don’t pull anything, okay. Just put the stones back and then,” Bucky breathed in shakily. “And then come back here.”

“I will. Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Nowhere?” Bucky asked, looking back at him.

Steve lifted a hand to cup his cheek. “Nowhere.”

“What about going back to Brooklyn?”

“Are you gonna go with me?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Always want you around, Buck.”

Bucky settled back against Steve’s shoulder. “So you’ll come back here, then we’ll go to Brooklyn.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

*

“You know, when you said ‘spacesuit looking thing,’ this isn’t what my mind went to.”

Steve snorted, smiling despite himself. “Get fucked.”

Steve said a goodbye to Sam, wrapping him in a firm hug before walking over to Bucky.

“Don’t do anything stupid until I get back,” he said.

“How can I?” Bucky responded. “You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

Steve smiled at him, grabbed him into a hug. Bucky allowed himself to nuzzle briefly into his shoulder.

Steve nodded at him, picking up Mjolnir and the briefcase. “See you soon.”

Bucky blinked, and he was gone.

“How long is he gonna-”

“However long he needs,” Bruce said. “But about five seconds for us. Speaking of, five, four, three, two-”

Steve was back. His hair was a little longer, a little dirtier, but he looked like himself.

He staggered heavily down the stairs. Bucky stood at the bottom so Steve walked right into his arms.

They stood there like that for a few minutes.

“How long?” Bucky asked.

“About six months,” Steve responded. “A few things went a little haywire.”

“I should’ve gone with you, made sure you had someone to watch your back.”

“I’m alright, Buck. Not even a little banged up.” Steve pulled away, and Bucky missed him in his arms immediately. “Mostly just a bunch of mind games. If I have to say ‘hail hydra’ ever again I might actually cut out my own tongue.”

Bucky snorted.

“Hey Sam,” Steve said, pivoting and sitting on one of the steps. “Can you come here for a sec? I’ve got a question for you.”

“Sure thing, Cap. What is it?”

“You sure you still want in to all this?”

“Hell yeah, Steve. That it?”

“Not really,” Steve said, unzipping the bag he had brought back. “The question was more how you’d feel about getting a promotion.”

The shield gleamed in the setting sun.

“You sure, Steve?”

“Yeah, go ahead, try it out.”

Sam lifted the shield, attached it to his arm.

“How does it feel?” Steve asked.

“Like it doesn’t belong to me,” Sam answered, honestly.

“I’ll be real with you, Sam. That feeling never really goes away.” Steve stood up and saluted him. “But I can’t think of a better man for the job.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. “But what about you?”

Steve glanced over at Bucky. “Thought I might try my hand at retirement. After all, I’m over a hundred years old now.”

Same laughed. “Fair enough.”

“But,” Steve added, serious now. “If anything like this ever happens again, if you find you need back up, just give me a call.”

“So you’re reserves, now, is what you’re saying.”

“Yeah, Sam. That’s actually a good way to say it.”

Sam saluted Steve back, briefly. “Not to cut this conversation short-”

“You really wanna play with it.”

“I _really_ wanna play with it. I mean, practice with it. It’s my shield now, Steve, no take-backs.”

Steve laughed, and the sound was as clear and free as it had been back in the 30s, just kids with no responsibilities. “Have fun.”

“Make sure you don’t hit yourself in the face and break your own nose!” Bucky called after him.

“That was one time!” Steve protested, because he dissolved into laughter again.

He and Bucky locked eyes, and Steve walked over to sit by the edge of the lake.

Bucky sat next to him. “So what’re you gonna do now?”

Steve shrugged. “Go back to Brooklyn. See if my college credits are still good.”

Bucky snorted. “Great, I’m gonna have to deal with pretentious art student Steve Rogers again.”

Steve laughed again, shoulders relaxed for the first time in ages. “Just figures you should know what you’re getting into if you decide to stick around.”

“Please, after all the shit we’ve gone through to get here? If you think I’m ever leaving you again you’re outta your damn mind.”

Steve looked over at him. “About that, I’ve got a question for you, too.”

“Yeah?”

Steve pulled something out of his pocket. “I grabbed these, was wondering if you’d wear them for me again.”

Dog tags. With Steve’s name on them. Bucky glanced over at Steve’s neck, saw the fine silver chain.

He smiled.

“So, after 80 plus years,” he began.

“I mean,” Steve interrupted, backpedaling. “You don’t have to, I just thought maybe-”

Bucky took the dog tags out of Steve’s hand. “I will wear these under one condition.”

“What’s that?” Steve asked, a little breathless, as they locked eyes.

“Get your head out of your ass for the first time in over eighty years.”

“And?”

“And kiss me, you idiot.”

*

Steve did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way time travel in this movie is never explained and it doesn’t make sense and they nix’d any character development Steve had about moving on from his old life and what might have been and I kinda hated it.  
> Give me ‘retired’ Steve. Give me Steve trying to live a normal life as the person he was at the end of the last movie, not as the person he was at the end of the first avengers.  
> Yeah that’s my main beef with endgame so I went and wrote it myself.  
> Comments, as always, adored.

**Author's Note:**

> Also Nat made it out alive because I said so but unfortunately that means Clint died but he’s been such a non-character in the past few movies I don’t really feel bad about it. It felt like some of the deaths weren’t story-oriented but more “hey your contract is up so you’re dead now” and hers was by far the worst.  
> Loki is also alive again because *checks notes* I said so.  
> 
> 
> [A translation into 中文 is available here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18717184)


End file.
